From left to right, Liz Morrell and MPTC Marketing students Will, Jessica, Lindsay, Austin, Taylor, Jeff and Meghan – “Badger Marketing and Design” team

On March 9, 2020, students in Sarah Ninmer’s Marketing and Social Media Management class presented their marketing and design plan for the ARC Fond du Lac to Executive Director Liz Morrell. Students worked on the plan throughout the spring semester as a service learning project, designing social media for facebook, instagram, and hulu. Students also created ideas for you tube, print ads and radio ads. Students explained the goals of the new plan for increasing donors, growing community involvement, recruiting volunteers, and promoting employment opportunities.

All marketing content was designed to encourage engagement and appeal to a broad audience. Liz told the students, “thank you so much for all this great work! I love your ideas and can’t wait to implement them. You are making my head spin with so much creativity!”

On March 3, 2020, instructors and students from the MPTC Criminal Justice Program, hosted teens in grades 5-12 and staff from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Fond du Lac and Tri-County Area for a fun interactive Dream Big event.

Fond du Lac Boys and Girls Club Teen Services Director Dillon Wiese said, “We are so excited for these Dream Big opportunities! At Boys and Girls Clubs we work hard to prepare teens with life skills to get ready for the world of work. At Dream Big Criminal Justice our students experienced finger printing, hand cuffing, jail cell searches, and what professional skills it takes to work in a criminal justice career. Our partnership with MPTC is a great way for teens to explore their interests, learn about careers, get ready for college and know they really can achieve their dreams! Thank you MPTC!”

Cortland Henning of Fond du Lac has been selected to be a part of the 2020-21 Campus Compact Newman Civic Fellows cohort.

Campus Compact, a Boston-based non-profit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education, has announced the 262 students from across the U.S. who will make up this year’s cohort. The Newman Civic Fellowship is a one-year experience emphasizing personal, professional, and civic growth for students who have demonstrated a capacity for leadership and an investment in solving public problems. The fellowship provides a variety of learning and networking opportunities, including a national conference in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston, access to exclusive scholarships, and post-graduate opportunities.

Henning, a first-year generation college student, took advantage of Moraine Park’s Promise program to achieve his career goals. He graduated from Fond du Lac High School in spring, 2019 and enrolled in the College’s culinary program this past fall.

“I always wanted to go to college but never knew if it was a possibility for me,” Cortland said. “My family isn’t able to help contribute to my tuition, and I knew that my part-time job wasn’t enough to live on and pay for school.”

Henning is also actively involved at the College. He is an active part of the Student Senate, where he serves as the community manager, and he volunteers at many of the student life events. Also, as part of the Promise program, Cortland is required to volunteer in the community for a minimum of eight hours. To date, he has volunteered over 80 hours of his time at the Fond du Lac High School, where he helps coach the color guard team. Cortland has won a Bronze and Silver Student Community Impact Award for the 2019-20 academic year!

Moraine Park President Bonnie Baerwald said, ” From the first time we met, it was clear to me that Cortland is a goal-driven, passionate, and engaged young man. He is ambitious and an outstanding ambassador for MPTC and higher education. Cortland is always willing to lend a hand no matter the task or the commitment. He has excellent time management skills which allows him to balance work and school while maintaining high academic honors. With over 80 hours of community service already accrued this school year, Cortland is the model of citizenship that the rest of us hope to emulate in our own lives. I am proud to be his mentor and look forward to the community and college impact he will demonstrate during his academic journey.”

In total, there were 12 students selected from Wisconsin to participate in the 2020-21 Newman Civic Fellows cohort, and Henning represents one of four technical college students in the group.

“I truly believe education inspires us to be better, and it increases overall societal values,” he said. “Moraine Park has opened so many doors for me, and I look forward to continuing to grow with this new opportunity.”

Moraine Park Technical College has made the difficult decision to cancel Tech Knowledge College (TKC) 2020, originally scheduled for August 4-6. The COVID-19 situation is still very fluid, and the safety and well being of our entire communities are our top priority throughout this difficult and rapidly changing times.

We appreciate the continued community support around this great summer camp opportunity, and stay tuned for information on TKC 2021.

Sign up for the our newsletter at morainepark.edu/tkc to receive information on TKC 2021 as it develops.

As a result of the still-evolving COVID-19 pandemic, Moraine Park Technical College has decided to cancel its 2020 commencement ceremony.

In early April, following the initial Safer at Home order, the College announced an alternative date for this year’s ceremony with a disclaimer that if social distancing requirements were still in effect, the event would be canceled. Today, the COVID-19 situation remains very fluid, with many unknowns around the reopening of the state, and with the announcement of Gov. Tony Evers extension of the Safer at Home order and his Badger Bounce Back requirements for reopening the state, the College will be unable to hold a large celebration on June 27.

“Moraine Park had the highest hopes to hold a ceremony this year,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, said. “However, the safety of our students, employees, and communities is of the utmost importance to us. With so many unknowns and safety at the forefront, this is just the right thing to do.”

Baerwald shared a personal announcement with graduates on Wednesday morning that acknowledged their accomplishments, congratulated them on their graduation and detailed how the College plans to help them celebrate from a distance.

“It is no secret that this historic time has resulted in the loss of many things for many people, but our student’s newly gained college degree is not one of those things,” Baerwald said. “They have worked countless hours and devoted years of their lives to better themselves, and we will still celebrate them.”

Additionally, Baerwald extended a personal invitation to the graduates to participate in next year’s ceremony, scheduled for May 2021.

Emergency funds in the form of a Federal Grant have been provided to MPTC to help students impacted by COVID-19. Specifically, this funding is intended to aid students for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus. It should provide direct emergency cash grants to students adversely impacted by the ongoing pandemic with unforeseen educational expenses, including:

books, e-books or audiobooks

course-related materials, and

technology (Keeping in mind that what works today may not work tomorrow, such as a checked-out laptop; borrowed equipment; laptops on the fritz. Cables, the continuing cost of high-speed internet, camera, headset, microphone, mouse, etc. are also additional expenses.)

THIS FUNDING CANNOT BE USED FOR TUITION EXPENSES.

Requirements:

Applicants must be students currently enrolled at MPTC during the spring, 2020 semester.

Applicants must be enrolled at Moraine Park in associates or technical degrees. Students who are in a certificate, boot camps, or basic education courses, Economic and Workforce Development, Department of Corrections, dual credit (high school), avocational or non-credit courses do not qualify.

If you are in an online program and completing all of your program courses online at the start of the spring semester 2020, you are not eligible to apply for funding.

Applicants need to be financial aid eligible; you do not need to be recipients to receive this funding. This means you should complete a FAFSA to demonstrate your eligibility. Go to studentaid.gov if you have not completed a FAFSA for 2019-20.

Applicants must complete the application (see link below) including a statement related to how the COVID-19 has been impactful and how this funding will be used to alleviate any financial issues.

Please apply for your current needs. You may reapply as other needs come about.

Moraine Park wants to make sure that all students who are eligible and need money, receive this support as quickly as possible. You are an important member of our community and this money is to support you!

For complete details and the online application process, go to the website: morainepark.edu/caresfund.

It’s time to submit your 2020 Census. You can complete your questionnaire online, by phone, or by mail.

What is the Census?

The 2020 Census’ goal is to count every person living in the United States and five U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). The Census, which is done every 10 years, requires every person living within one of these states or territories to respond.

Why is this information important?

“The 2020 Census results will show where communities need new schools, new clinics, new roads, and more services for families, older adults, and children. The results will also help the federal government make decisions on how hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funding are allocated to more than 100 programs, including Medicaid, Head Start, block grants for community mental health services, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP.”- Information gathered from census.gov.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL),Wisconsin counties on average stand to lose $22,170 in federal funding over the next decade ($2,217/year) per person not counted. –NCSL utilized data from “Counting for Dollars 2020,” a study published in February 2020 by Andrew Reamer of the George Washington Institute of Public Policy (GWIPP).

How does this impact MPTC?

Moraine Park is a state-funded educational institution. Understanding our general population helps the federal government allocate dollars to support technical education, among other things. Overall, the Census helps determine the needs in every state and community, and helps to define where funding is needed most. As a community partner, we understand that there are needs all around: k-12 schools, healthcare, transportation/roads, and rural / wildlife areas, to name a few. This elevates the importance of 100% timely participation.

How do I respond?

It’s quick and easy! Visit my2020census.gov to learn how to submit your response today. When filling out your census form, be sure to include all family members living in your home.